The Pot, the plasas and the pap - Join the Ramadan Food Drive in Sierra Leone
Dear Komuniti,
We are back in the beautiful month of Ramadan, and I need your help.
Like many Freetonians, I grew up in a mixed-religion family. I actually thought that "ChrisMus" was a religion, that's how fluid and inclusive the Muslim and Christian parts of my family co-existed.
Freetonians are serious about religion, it brings us together, a tradition I hope we always continue.
Ramadan in Freetown - How it Used to Be
My earliest Ramadan memories are of my grandmother’s backyard kitchen, where women in my family and the community would gather to cook large pots of rice, plasas, and pap for the mosque. This unified pot, where every family in the community would feast, was amplified during the last ten days of Ramadan, the most sacrosanct time during the holy month. My grandmother and the community aunties would combine their resources to feed everyone.
Young men walked with spoons in their back pockets. We laughed at them. Everyone was welcome to our compound when it was time to break the fast.
Christian neighbors and family friends sent food to our home, not because they thought we didn’t have any, but as acts of love and ajo. Ramadan was a time of excess.
This was thirty years ago, before the war came to Freetown and conflict displaced thousands of people from the provinces to the city. I don't know my neighbors anymore, but I know that a majority live in extreme poverty. I can see their makeshift panbodies, room, and parlor spread out over reclaimed embankments.
My grandmother and many of my community aunties have also died. Their children and grandchildren have moved away. Our home is no longer the community center it used to be, but each year I try to carry on the tradition of feeding the community during Ramadan.
Freetown’s Hunger Crisis
I saw firsthand how hunger was affecting families in my community and others in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. That's when I started the first food drive. I was locked in Freetown, reporting on essential workers for OSIWA. My team and I interviewed 50 people from all walks of life, including in my community, and the story was the same.
Food is scarce. Hunger is a constant in homes, especially those with many children. I did what I could in 2020, and others chipped in. In 2022, I partnered with social worker Suafiatu Tunis, a community champion who has been working to help the most vulnerable since Ebola. Five years later, thanks to Suafia’s commitment, we are still doing what we can to continue the tradition of feeding families.
But each year, the need is greater than ever because of the rising costs of food and high inflation. In the 12 months between June 2022 and June 2023, the cost of Sierra Leone's staple food, rice, went up 39% (local rice) and 53% (imported rice). When we started, $20 could feed a whole household for the last ten days of Ramadan. But prices continue to skyrocket. We now need $50 to feed a family.
In 2024, the World Food Program reported that 8 out of every 10 Sierra Leonean is food insecure. In neighboring Liberia, their situation is less dire, only about half of the population is food insecure.
This year we want to feed 1,500 individuals or 150 households. On average, the households we support have eight to ten people, of which a majority are women and children.
In every community, the local mosque and leaders know the most vulnerable households. We don't ask if families are Muslim or Christian. We just ask for the vulnerable. Three out of every four people in Sierra Leone are Muslim.
How we work to feed families in need during Ramadan
Before each Ramadan, Suafia visits the markets to get the costs of goods. For a hearty meal, each household needs a supply of rice, beans, palm oil, onions, Maggi, salt, and smoked fish. When you donate $50, one family in Freetown will have enough to eat at least during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
Your donations are collected directly from my website: VickieRemoe.com. There are two options. You can donate to feed one household, or you can donate to feed a whole street. A gift of $500 will feed ten families on one street. You can feed multiple families or streets.
The earlier we receive your donations, the quicker we can purchase materials. Prices tend to get even higher towards the end of Ramadan.
Once I receive your donations (less credit card fees), I transfer the funds to Suafia in Sierra Leone. Along with a band of volunteers, she buys the meals and repackages them for distribution. Donations are made in Suafia's neighborhood in Portee, East of Freetown, and mine in Banana Water, Off Murray Town Road.
It would cost much less to give just rice and the basics, but people living with hunger need more sustenance, especially as they fast. For $50, we can provide food that is high in protein as we support households with young children who are likely to suffer from malnutrition otherwise. For $500 we can do more.
Why you can trust the Ramadan Food Drive
While I do not operate a non-profit, you can trust my track record. I’ve raised about $100,000 in charitable causes online since 2014 when I started a GoFundMe that supported the 50/50 Group’s Ebola efforts. In 2020, I raised $60,000 for emergency Covid-19 relief under the C19 Dignity Fund. Above is a video recap of our 2023 food drive.
Furthermore, we keep you informed throughout the process. You can search Ramadan Food drive and you will be able to see photos, videos and media we create documenting the process.
Suafia Tunis has worked with countless organizations in Sierra Leone and is a known social agent for change. She has a registered charity, Community Response Group (CRG-SL).
How to donate to the 2025 Ramadan Food Drive
If you’re donating in Sierra Leone, please send your gift to the Ramadan Food Drive via Orange Money +232 79 981935. Everyone else who wants to donate online can head to www.VickieRemoe.com.
You can donate to feed one household or you can donate to feed a whole street. A gift of $500 will feed ten families on one street. You can feed multiple families or streets.
The earlier we receive your donations the quicker we can purchase materials. Prices tend to get even higher towards the end of Ramadan.
Once I receive your donations (less credit card fees), I transfer the funds to Suafia in Sierra Leone. Along with a band of volunteers she buys the meals, repackages them for distribution. Donations are made in Suafia's neighborhood in Portee, East of Freetown, and mine in Banana Water, Off Murray Town Road.
The truth is, It would cost much less to give just rice and the basics, but people living with hunger need more sustenance, especially as they fast. For $50, we can provide food that is high in protein as we support households with young children who are likely to suffer from malnutrition otherwise. For $500 we can do more.
Thank you for joining this campaign. If you have any questions please contact Suafia in Freetown on +232 79 981935 or feel free to Whatsapp me on +1-240-813-8043.
